Something old, something new ...

Former Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann, an independent candidate for governor, got some press coverage on Tuesday with his call to restore the Hawaii Superferry.

But those who watch politics closely will remember that Hannemann also called for the return of the Superferry during his unsuccessful Democratic primary run for governor in 2010. It was part of a 10-point economic action plan the former mayor unveiled near the end of the campaign.

Like four years ago, Hannemann has not offered any details on exactly how he would restore interisland ferry service.

The Hawaii Superferry project closed and went bankrupt after the state Supreme Court ruled in 2009 that a law passed during a special session of the Legislature allowing Superferry to operate during an environmental review process was unconstitutional because it only applied to a single company. The court had previously ruled in 2007 that the Lingle administration erred when it exempted $40 million in state harbor improvements from environmental review.

The Navy has acquired the two high-speed Superferry catamarans -- the Alakai and the Huakai -- and re-named them the USNS Puerto Rico and USNS Guam.

Interestingly, there is a candidate this year who has possible plans for a Superferry return to Hawaii: U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, who is running for U.S. Senate.

17 Responses to “Something old, something new ...”

Smaht da buggah. He knows he won't have two votes to rub together on Kaua`i anyway (see the debacle of his 2nd CD race against Tulsi Gabbard) so why not appeal to those O`ahu cowboys who want to come over and trample our beaches and campgrounds without paying a nickel in taxes to support them.

So . . . Hanabusa and Hanneman are on the same page when it comes to bringing back the Superferry? Interesting . . . . Didn't know this. Especially Incognito: Is this something you can Google? This is interesting first-hand smoke to me.

So when opponents of the SuperFerry said it was connected to increased training at Pohakuloa and SF advocates claimed such talk was "conspiracy theory," it now turns out to be true? Someone owes somebody an apology.

This is a cheap, political stunt, whether we are talking about Hannemann or Hanabusa trying to cash in on the regrets people have about the failure of the SuperFerry. Here's the deal. The SF group never had a sound business plan. They had hoped to provide a cost-effective way to move tourists, cars and freight between the islands but never showed that was viable. The rough waters between the islands were too unpredictable, beating up on the passengers, who on rough days were vomiting all over the boat. But the waves also, quite famously, beat up on the boat, bending its screw and rendering it inoperable.

At no point did the SF show a profit and it never got to the point it was carrying enough passengers at full fare. When it was full it was because they had dropped the fares artificially low.

So when a politician appeals to your regret that the SF is not around for your dream vacation to a neighbor island, use that argument against the politician. They are pandering and being dishonest, traits an intelligent voter should not want in a politician. Not only does it illustrate their willingness to be dishonest, it also demonstrates they have no understanding of business, except as "crony capitalism" with well-placed politicians clearing the way for favored corporations, like the special session to help out one, specific corporation, which the State Supreme Court ruled was unconstitutional favoritism. But, hey, it got John Garibaldi to help Hanabusa run for Congress, so I guess it did pay off for someone.

"So . . . Hanabusa and Hanneman are on the same page when it comes to bringing back the Superferry? Interesting . . . . Didn't know this. Especially Incognito: Is this something you can Google? This is interesting first-hand smoke to me." itoboy

Of course. First-hand smoke to you since, you don't connect the dots
and only see smoke coming out from other's posterior motives.

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